Northside Drive re-opened to traffic after water main break

The section of Northside Drive between I-75 and Collier Road in south Buckhead, which had been closed to traffic since a 20-inch water main rupture Tuesday afternoon, reportedly was reopened to traffic early Thursday evening.

The scene on Northside Drive south of Collier Road Tuesday afternoon as a break in a 20-inch water main sent a geiser of water into the air. WSB-TV photos

A tree cutting company was working in the ravine along Northside Drive and tried to remove a stump but instead broke a 100-year-old pipe at around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon.

Crews worked around the clock to close off a 20-inch water main break on Northside Drive near Spring Lake Drive and Collier Road that had shut down north and southbound lanes of Northside Drive between Collier Road and Channing Drive.

Workers said a 20-inch ruptured pipe sent water shooting 10 feet or more in the air. The break interrupted service to several homes. The force of the water was so strong that it tossed boulders onto Northside Drive.

Initial inspections at the site reportedly revealed a great amount of washing out of the ground underneath the roadbed of Northside Drive. But late Thursday afternoon the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) had apparently decided Northside Drive repairs were sufficient to allow through traffic to use it. water mainm break